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9 Best Street Foods in Chennai

From idlis and parottas to idiyappam and curry dosa, the streets of Chennai are swarming with stalls that cater to everyone’s palate. There’s a variety of street food to choose from in Chennai with hundreds of such vendors selling local delicacies. It is a craze among the young crowd, cheap and convenient for people on-the-go and of course tasty as ever. Let’s have a look at some of Chennai’s best known street appetizers.

1. Idli Sambhar:

Made from a batter of fermented black lentils and rice, these rice cakes are a popular street food in the streets of Chennai. It is a traditional breakfast item and makes a tasty snack on the streets when served with a combination of nariyal or coconut chutney and sambhar.

2. Parottas:

One of the most lip smacking roadside delicacies in Chennai are the Parottas that can be found in any roadside food shop. The most famous of all is the Kothu Parotta literally meaning minced parotta. The parotta is made with egg and meat and a dose of a spicy sauce called salna and is usually served with onion raita. Other parottas that make an equally delightful snack are the Chilli and Egg Parottas.

Another snack that you can grab off of the streets of Chennai is the mouth watering Idiyappam. Also known as string hoppers, it is made from rice flour that’s pressed into noodles and steamed. It goes well with spicy curries or coconut chutney. You can grab a bite of this on your way to work or on your way back home as it is mostly served at breakfast or dinner.

4. Dosa:

If you’re passing through the streets of Chennai you can’t help but take a bite of the dosa, These savoury crepe-like pancakes are by far the most famous of all street foods to be found in Chennai. Every roadside stall will serve you dosas in different variations from plain dosas to masala dosas rava dosa and even onion dosas. They are a quick meal and much loved on the streets.

5. Chennai’s Pani Puri:

If you thought you could only find puchkas in Kolkata or pani puri in North India, think again. Chennai dishes out some equally tasteful pani puris. While some are tinged with a south Indian flavour, others are of the typical north Indian taste. Places like Gangotree and 58, Nungambakkam High Road are places known for their pani puris that are believed to be out of this world.

Another common dish found in the many food stalls that throng Chennai is Uttapam. This thick pancake topped with tomatoes, onions, chillies and capsicum looks like and is also referred to as an Indian pizza. Though a common breakfast dish, you can find many people snacking on this in the evenings as well.

7. Vada:

Crispy vadas made from dal, lentils and gram flour is hugely popular in all of Chennai. An all day snack, you can tuck into them at any roadside stall or railway station. The most common type is the doughnut shaped vada. They taste best when freshly fried to a crisp and usually served with a variety of dips ranging from sambar to chutney to curd.

8. Chaats:

The streets of Chennai aren’t without their fair share of mouth watering chaats. Innumerable stalls on the road and a number of them at the beach offer a variety of chaats. You can get bhel puri, daabeli, samosa chaats, aloo tikis and even pav bhaji all at reasonable prices.

9. Atho:

If you’re looking for a break from south Indian food in Chennai then you should probably try Atho. A traditional Burmese dish has found its way to the street food stalls that has hordes of people wanting to get a taste of it. Made from boiled noodles and mixed with spices and vegetables like onion and cabbage, it is especially made to suit the Indian palate and is a great evening snack.